Woman said Alesha was ‘in a better place’
The woman blamed by the accused for the murder of Alesha MacPhail told a friend the child was “in a better place”. Lindsay Calderwood, a friend of Toni McLachlan, said she made the comment in the days after the child was found dead. A 16-year-old boy denies abducting, raping and murdering six-year-old Alesha.
Arrest over racist graffiti at flats
A man has been arrested over racist graffiti daubed on doors at a block of flats. David Yamba, 10, found “No Blacks” painted on three doors in his block in Salford on 8 February, five days after his family had moved in.
Just Eat to ban worst food hygiene offenders
Food ordering app Just Eat is to remove all restaurants with a hygiene rating of zero from their platform. Any food outlet attempting to join Just Eat will also have to be rated at least “generally satisfactory” for hygiene.
Drone no-fly zone near airports extended
The no-fly zone for drones around airports is to be extended following the disruption at Gatwick in December, the government says. From 13 March it will be illegal to fly a drone within three miles of an airport, rather than the current 0.6-mile (1km) exclusion zone.
Sainsbury’s-Asda merger in jeopardy
Customers could see higher prices and less choice as a result of the proposed merger between Sainsbury’s and Asda, the UK’s competition watchdog has said. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it could block the deal or force the sale of a large number of stores or even one of the brand names.
Three Tory MPs join breakaway group
Three Tory MPs have resigned from the party to join an independent group, set up by former Labour MPs. Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen wrote a joint letter to Theresa May to confirm their departure. The PM said she was “saddened”, but her party would “always offer…